Seeing derelict boats bums me out.

Bruceflinch

Bruceflinch

Older Swabbie, Younger Boat
GOLD Sponsor
Oct 6, 2023
109
Bay Point, CA
Boat Info
1986 340 Sedan. Twin 340 Mercruiser
Maintenance is harder when you’re old..
Engines
Twin Mercruiser 340 inboards
Took my Buddy, up into the Delta to check out the boat I just bought. We pass several Marinas, along the way. Jon commented about all the derelicts we saw. Seems there was fewer boats in good condition. It bums me to see all the neglected vessels. Wish I was rich, so I could adopt all the neglected boats.. Lol

While searching for a used boat, I was quite surprised to see how much damage the UV rays do. It does inspire me to take good care of my new purchase.
 
For a lot of people, boating is a dream that they have completely detached from the reality of it.

Where I live is a perfect example. We have more canals in Cape Coral then pretty much anywhere. People move down here with the dream of a canal house with a boat. They buy the boat and then the realities of the cost, the 70 minute idle time each way to the river, and how much work it is hits. So many nice boats just sitting and rotting. The farther into the canal system you go, the older and worse looking they get.
 
Yeah, sadly this is pretty common. I've been at my current marina almost 2 years. Most of the boats have never moved, nor have I ever seen anyone on them. The boats are covered in bird poop, spiders/poop, etc.

"Back in the day" of wooden boats they would take the ones who were not paying their slip fees and/or had abandoned the boat, out to the river and burn them.
 
Stray Current said:
For a lot of people, boating is a dream that they have completely detached from the reality of it.

Where I live is a perfect example. We have more canals in Cape Coral then pretty much anywhere. People move down here with the dream of a canal house with a boat. They buy the boat and then the realities of the cost, the 70 minute idle time each way to the river, and how much work it is hits. So many nice boats just sitting and rotting. The farther into the canal system you go, the older and worse looking they get.
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Love the idea of Cape Coral but absolutely couldn't deal with a more than 15 min idle to the river.
 
SeaNile said:
Love the idea of Cape Coral but absolutely couldn't deal with a more than 15 min idle to the river.
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I’m about 11 minutes from my house to the speed zone. Not terrible but I had 3 minutes back in Jersey

Still better than the 20 minutes the first dock I rented took
 
mrsrobinson said:
Yeah, sadly this is pretty common. I've been at my current marina almost 2 years. Most of the boats have never moved, nor have I ever seen anyone on them. The boats are covered in bird poop, spiders/poop, etc.

"Back in the day" of wooden boats they would take the ones who were not paying their slip fees and/or had abandoned the boat, out to the river and burn them.
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Burning a boat in California would get you arrested and jailed.. lol
fiberglass boats have to be taken to a landfill after removing all the fluids. Small truckload of landfill costs 50 bucks. Probably most of those dead boat owners couldn’t afford the landfill fee
 
Bruceflinch said:
Took my Buddy, up into the Delta to check out the boat I just bought. We pass several Marinas, along the way. Jon commented about all the derelicts we saw. Seems there was fewer boats in good condition. It bums me to see all the neglected vessels. Wish I was rich, so I could adopt all the neglected boats.. Lol

While searching for a used boat, I was quite surprised to see how much damage the UV rays do. It does inspire me to take good care of my new purchase.
Click to expand...
I'm guessing you were on the San Joaquin just south of 7 mile slough. That entire group of marinas seems to have been taken over by tweakers.
 
bobeast said:
I'm guessing you were on the San Joaquin just south of 7 mile slough. That entire group of marinas seems to have been taken over by tweakers.
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Yes Sir, Starting at Oxbow& headed East
 
I grew up camping in Grampa's back yard on the Erie Canal. My earliest recollection of life itself was sitting next to him holding the tiller.

He helped me build my first boat in his garage, and he got the first boatride when it was finished. Sadly he passed away a few years later. Even sadder, the old homestead was torn down, bought by a boat mechanic and is now a junk pile of partly repaired boats.

The nearest launch ramp is 6 miles from the mighty Niagara, and the voyage passes right by the old family dock. 5 mph speed limit.

I'm not in a hurry when I go boating. I look forward to the canal trip more than I enjoy a 40 mph trip out to Lake Erie. My wife and son are of the same mind, and they have never even experienced the joys of MY youth.

(PS - the beer doesn't go flat at 5 mph, and most every boat you pass has bikini-clad babes gracing the bow)

(PPS - my avatar is me on plane in the canal. No water cops around that day.....LOL)
 
Stray Current said:
For a lot of people, boating is a dream that they have completely detached from the reality of it.

Where I live is a perfect example. We have more canals in Cape Coral then pretty much anywhere. People move down here with the dream of a canal house with a boat. They buy the boat and then the realities of the cost, the 70 minute idle time each way to the river, and how much work it is hits. So many nice boats just sitting and rotting. The farther into the canal system you go, the older and worse looking they get.
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I love cape coral, and really want to move there! But you‘re right, that trip to the no wake zone and then the other zone through the manatee area are real downers! Of course those beautiful gulf waters are a real pick me up!
 
bobeast said:
Oxbow is one of the nicest marinas on the delta. I had my boat there for about a year, but got tired of the slow trip out to fast water.
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I misspoke. Owl Harbor is the first one.. bird crap everywhere.
 
Bruceflinch said:
I misspoke. Owl Harbor is the first one.. bird crap everywhere.
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Bruceflinch said:
I misspoke. Owl Harbor is the first one.. bird crap everywhere.
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Owl harbor has improved a lot over the last couple of years, at least as far as derelicts. But bird crap is going to be a FOL with open slips. Of course they are cheaper than the covered marinas, so you know what they say....
 
I saw this gem on the Caloosahatchee River last summer before hurricane Ian. I think it’s a 460 with twin mismatched outboards. Also, with the generator and tank, I think somebody had been living aboard
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There were a hand full littering up the TN river around Chattanooga then some company must of got the contract to recover them all. There was a few videos on the local facebook page of some of the recoveries. I'm hoping they are going after the owners of these boats for the cost of receovery.
 
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